


How Art Thou Rosemary?

by Sapphire_sky



Series: The Lives of These Dorks [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Kindgom, dual timelines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-02-24 07:08:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2572592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphire_sky/pseuds/Sapphire_sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here's that thing I mentioned in H.A.G.S. somewhere. The weird idea, I mean.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's that thing I mentioned in H.A.G.S. somewhere. The weird idea, I mean.

_You don't know what the year is. You have not bothered to keep track of time other than our own age and when to go to sleep. Due to this great time tracking method, you know that you are currently fifteen years old. This information, though, is only useful when you are asked of the topic, which is rarely. You also know that you have one elder sister, and that your cat loving mother is the queen of your kingdom._

_You have lived in the palace for your entire life, only taking a step outside when absolutely required. Your hobbies include knitting and witchcraft, though you are still trying to discover the latter even exists. Your sister often chides you for only wearing the "garments of the villagers," but you haven't a villager to compare yourself to. They all live outside the castle's walls._

_Your mother gave you your one cat, Jaspers, for your thirteenth birthday. The same year, she gave your elder sister her kitten, who is called Mutie. Both felines are inky black from their heads to their tails. It is currently too early in the morning for you to think up anything else, so you assume now would be the optimal time to begin your daily routine, which consists of changing into decent clothes and doing whatever Mother could possibly want._

_The entire thing tires you sore sometimes, but you guess that this is the way it has to be. You have never known anything else._

* * *

 You are bored to the point of laying on your bed all day and doing nothing. You slam your fist down on your alarm clock as it beeps. You forgot to turn it off yesterday, so it beeped. And beeped. On a Saturday. Until you hit it, of course. Then, it fell off your bedside table and onto the floor, cracking. The thing was never to buzz again. Thank god. You've been looking for an excuse to throw that thing out for all of eternity.

You decide you could just knit all day, but you know you'll do that anyway. Might as well consider other possibilities before leaping into the arms of the inevitable. See, you could walk all the way across the street to visit Casey, but you know that won't happen unless she calls you. You love the little five-year-old, but you have knitting to do. You could go to the neighborhood park with Roxy, as well. She would write her weird wizard fanfiction stuff and you could just knit.

Because knitting solves all your life problems.

Like, for an example, that both your mother and sister are alcoholics. Both of whom you're supposed to look up to. The only one that that leaves is your ancestor, Lady Rose, but she was alive centuries ago. Your mom never told you what happened to her after her eighteenth birthday. Probably some kind of messed up and drunken symbolism. Or maybe she just doesn't want you to know.

Lady Rose was a marvelous being who dedicated what you've heard of her life to helping those considered lesser than her, like her maids and the villagers. Now all you have to do is get off your lazy ass and get shit done. Preferably other than knitting. You need to tone down on that for a while. A long while. You only have forty-eight hours until school, so you might as well make the best of that.

And you don't mean drinking yourself to sleep like the other members of your household. You have no doubt that's what Mom's doing at this very moment. You've even tried Mom's wine before. Nasty shit that stuff is. You don't know why Mom and Roxy love it so much.

Oh right, they're addicted. Alcoholics all the way. You sigh and lay back on your bed. There's nothing to do but wait.

* * *

  _Everything is in order, and the trip will be held accordingly. Your elder sister would like to take you for a walk through the village to select a villager that will serve as your own server. You honestly don't need another to do work for you- you're quite self sufficient. But you absolutely cannot disappoint your sister. You would not hear the end of it. So here you are, stuffing yourself into a nice lavender pink dress that covered up the awful corset._

_You can barely even breathe, the thing is so tight._

_You head to the castle's exit, which lead into a labyrinth of hedges. It supposedly keeps assassins out of the castle. It has worked so far, for the most part. You meet the heir to throne at the end of the single path through the gardens, and she looks at you as if you had sprouted horns. "Rose! You are actually wearing presentable garments! I have to say..." you half listen to Roxy drone on about the importance of fashion as you catch a glimpse of the village. It wasn't much- what with it only consisting of forty or so ramshackle stone buildings, including the markets and church- but you may have to rule over it someday._

_But you ruling is a worst case scenario. That's if Mom, your sister, and your father are all killed or die within your lifetime. The concept seems very unlikely to you, so you go about your daily living not thinking about the remote possibility.  As you walk alongside Roxy through the village, lads bow and lasses curtsy. You simply give a small smile and nod in acknowledgement._

_Eventually, you are led to probably the smallest of the already small houses, and the heir knocks on the door twice, brushing the dust off with her handkerchief. Not ten seconds passes before the door opens, revealing a slim woman with chocolate brown hair that billowed far past her shoulders. "Hello, Miss," your sister starts, "I was just wondering if I could have a chat with your daughter, please."_

_The woman quickly nods and rushes in, calling out a name that you don't quite catch. Soon after, a much younger female appears in the doorway. She is slim, like her mother, but her dark hair is cut short, and it sticks up, kind of as a man would wear. Her eyes are a pleasant jade green, and they reflect the bright of the sun as she turns to face the heir, hands clasped in front of her._

_Her age can't be far off of yours. "Yes, Princess?" Roxy wrinkles her nose at the common formality. "Just call me Roxy, please. Are you Kanaya Maryam, daughter of Porrim Maryam?" So called Kanaya nods. "I have heard that you are in need of employment, and I would like to offer you a position in the palace. A paid position, of course." The Maryam girl's eyes widen as she looks from your sister to you, then back to Roxy again._

_"I-I would love to accept a position, prin- Roxy. What would this occupation imply?" The villager pronounced each word carefully, and her voice was soft, like she was intimidated by you and your sister's presence. Ha. There's really nothing except power to fear there. Neither you nor Roxy would intentionally hurt another, unless faced with a dire situation._

_"I have decided that my sister is in need of a personal server. She needs little that she cannot provide for herself, so little work is required." You risk a glance at the heir to the throne, who stood tall, with poise, authority, and a good inch over Kanaya- two over you. You already know that you had finished growing near a year ago, so you guess your elder sister will always be more intimidating than you._

_But, as heir, it may as well be a requirement for her to intimidate her subjects. The Maryam female glances at you before speaking. "Anything to serve your family, Miss Roxy. When do I begin?" Roxy nudges you, and you sigh silently, turning back to the speaker. The heir grinned, crystalline white teeth flashing, "pack your things and notify your mother. If now is alright, that is."_

_The female gives a quick nod before hurrying inside her house. You cross your arms over your chest and turn to Roxy, who shrugs off your presence. You move your arms back to their original position as the Maryam girl reappears, a small bag in hand. Her mother gives you a smile as she closes the door, leaving only you, the heir, and the villager girl._

_The Maryam household is not far from the castle, so you don’t have to bear Roxy’s lectures for long. The heir explains to the villager- your server, you remind yourself- that she will be provided with new clothing and food, and that you will be showing her the rest of what she need know, which honestly isn't much. You say as much, and Roxy just rolls her piglet-pink eyes, continuing to speak with Kanaya, who doesn't seemed to be bothered in the slightest by your interruption._

_As you reach the palace, you immediately begin to head in the direction of your room. Roxy and Kanaya follow. You just hear your sister finishing up an explanation, "maybe Rose has something for you to do now. I' will be in the Queen's office if you need anything." Roxy walks off, short hair swishing behind her. You slow until the Maryam girl is at your side, and you keep your slower pace steady throughout the entirety of your walk to your room, giving Kanaya time to memorize the route._

_As you enter the familiar place that is your room, you itch to get out of the bloody corset. It is quite strange to ask someone you just met to remove some of your clothing, so you simply ask Kanaya to loosen the strings on the back of the choking garment. She does so expertly, and you turn your back to her as you remove the thing completely, retying the thin strings of your dress on your bare back._

_The Maryam girl immediately moves to help, fastening the final few strings into place. You can breathe again, finally. The corset was created as a torture device by the spawn of the Devil; you're sure of it. Now that air can make its way into your lungs, you're satisfied. But, then again, you don't know what to have Kanaya do for the rest of her time here. Your room is perfectly neat, with not a speck out of place. It will be hard to clean, if cleaning it is at all possible._

_The rest of the afternoon is spent showing your newly appointed maid around the palace, stopping when she has a question to ask. As you reach your final destination, the servant's quarters, you bid Kanaya farewell and begin toward your room. You do not get very far before stopped by a messenger. One of Roxy's, you presume- tall, with a mop of black hair and eyes you cannot quite tell the color of._

_The messenger clarifies that the heir requests your presence in her room immediately. All you can do is nod and follow where he leads you. In no time, you have arrived at the room of your sister, who promptly dismisses the messenger. "Rose Lalonde," you look up at your sister as she speaks your name with such a mix of authority and affection that it throws you off._

_"Recent events suggest that I need complete a task I have put off for as long possible," she turns and lifts a small object from her desk, looking at it for a moment before holding it toward you, "so I, Roxette Lalonde, present you, Rose Lalonde, with this gift, in all hopes that you will forgive me for what I must do." You are quite befuddled, but your sister gives you little time as she drops the small object into your hands. She then requests for you to leave, and you do, quite a bit more confused than you had been minutes earlier. As you nod and walk in the general direction of your bedroom, you inspect the small, circular object._

_The ring was silver, with small, intricate designs carved all around its exterior. It had a few pink gemstones dotting the designs, but they were smoothed out to match the bends and twists that were etched into the silver. It was a beautiful thing, and you slide it onto the middle finger of your left hand immediately, but that does not soothe the panic that had lodged itself in your abdomen._

_For what she must do? What could that mean?_

_You find the answer within the week, and it sets the kingdom in shock._

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanation timeeeeeeee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boop. Sorry for the short chapter.

You decide to pick up the biggest book you have, to busy yourself. The leather-bound novel must be at least eight hundred pages long, judging by the fact that the spine is at least two inches thick. You flip it open to the first page actually written on. Written in black is just a name: _Rose Lalonde the First._

You had received the massive book on the day of your thirteenth birthday as a gift from your elder sister. Pre-alcohol elder sister, that is.

Written beneath the name were five words, written more sloppily and seemingly more slowly than the line above:

_**My sister has gone Rouge.** _

 

* * *

 

_For your thirteenth birthday, you woke up to a thick, leather-bound book and a few cups of black ink laying on the top of your dresser. The heir to the throne had knocked and entered, congratulating you on surviving another year. You’d always just assumed that the gifts were from her._

_Until the day your sister disappeared, you hadn’t quite found a use for the book. The king and queen went into mourning, not noticing you or anything else in their lives other than grief. In the extended periods of time in which you were ignored, your mother developed quite a thing for alcohol._

_She would remain in her office for days at a time without eating. She only drank. And drank. And then drank some more. You, however, had become the heir to the throne overnight._

 

* * *

 

The journal speaks of an alcoholic queen and a depressed king, of princes and suitors (all of which she turned down), and of a gentle and kind handmaid whose name never seems to be mentioned. It speaks of challenges and unfair treatment of the poor. It speaks of great challenges that the king and queen held in order to find their only remaining daughter a husband (that of which she never chooses).

There’s a light knock at the door. Not a drunken smack. “Come in,” you say, not bothering to see who it was at your door. “Hallo, Rose!” a very bubbly voice, says, and you look up. Little Casey Egbert was grinning and chewing her blue bubble gum. Behind her was a little boy about her size, holding a can.

“Would you come play Can-Town?” Casey remains grinning as you bookmark your page and stand up, nodding. “Might I ask who this young fellow is?” you smile slightly and turn towards the boy. “Oh, that’s Way. He can’t talk.”

“Well then nice to meet you, Way,” you walk over and extend your hand to shake. Casey moves out of the doorway to allow you to do so. The child shakes your hand, nodding. “Ready to go then, Casey?”

 

* * *

 

  _Kanaya was glad to help you out through this time, and, in return, she was granted daily passes into the village to see her mother. It was only a week before the queen started the Tournaments. Suitors with enough ludicrous to believe that you want them started swarming the castle, eager to prove that they were worthy of you. Kanaya had volunteered to be a relay point between you and them, transporting the latest Tournament standings and writing them down._

_You were still in the process of deciding whether or not to translate these standards into your book._

_The days had become considerable colder, what with the coming of winter, so visits to the village were at a minimum to prevent everyone from disease. That, however, does nothing to prevent you from becoming ill._

 


End file.
